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Today I took my Bolt out on a grocery store run and notice a weird noise coming from the front driver side when I come to a stop and when I take off. It is a creaking sound. Happens in the last few seconds as it comes to a complete stop and right when you hit the accelerator. Has to be a light touch too. A hard stop or start does not cause the issue. Noise happens in L, D, and Reverse and you can feel it faintly in the steering wheel. I took it to my dealer and the Bolt tech on duty rode with me and heard the noise many times (so I know I'm not crazy). He thinks it is a suspension problem of some sort like a loose bushing or maybe a motor mount. Of course, there are only 3 Bolt certified techs on staff (which is a lot compared to some dealerships), one is on vacation this week, one is off for the next two days, and the other one is booked up until Friday. So I've got a Chevy Trax as a loaner for a week which is a heck of a lot better than the 4 door off-road Silverado truck they gave me as a loaner before. My wife's Bolt has 14k miles on it and is about to hit one year of service while mine is only 4 months old with not even 3k on the odometer. Maybe it's just jealous that my wife's Bolt gets to go driving everyday and it is letting me know it's displeasure with the creaking sound.

Anyway, I will keep you updated with info about the problem and repair just in case this happens to another Bolt owner.

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I've also got a creaking sound which I believe is coming from the rear suspension. Mine also happens on gentle acceleration and deceleration, and also when going over speed bumps. I've been waiting for it to worsen or get more consistent before taking it in. I'll be watching for your update!

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Today I took my Bolt out on a grocery store run and notice a weird noise coming from the front driver side when I come to a stop and when I take off. It is a creaking sound. Happens in the last few seconds as it comes to a complete stop and right when you hit the accelerator. Has to be a light touch too. A hard stop or start does not cause the issue. Noise happens in L, D, and Reverse and you can feel it faintly in the steering wheel. I took it to my dealer and the Bolt tech on duty rode with me and heard the noise many times (so I know I'm not crazy). He thinks it is a suspension problem of some sort like a loose bushing or maybe a motor mount. Of course, there are only 3 Bolt certified techs on staff (which is a lot compared to some dealerships), one is on vacation this week, one is off for the next two days, and the other one is booked up until Friday. So I've got a Chevy Trax as a loaner for a week which is a heck of a lot better than the 4 door off-road Silverado truck they gave me as a loaner before. My wife's Bolt has 14k miles on it and is about to hit one year of service while mine is only 4 months old with not even 3k on the odometer. Maybe it's just jealous that my wife's Bolt gets to go driving everyday and it is letting me know it's displeasure with the creaking sound.

Anyway, I will keep you updated with info about the problem and repair just in case this happens to another Bolt owner.

Just as a data point, I went through four sets of motor mounts on three different EV-1s in the late '90s and early oughts. (The EV-1 is a direct predecessor to the Bolt, and was also made by GM.) The symptom on those was a distinctive "THUNK" on both acceleration and deceleration. Doesn't sound like what you're describing.

Regardless, containing the extreme torque generated by a large electric motor ain't easy!

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I've also got a creaking sound which I believe is coming from the rear suspension. Mine also happens on gentle acceleration and deceleration, and also when going over speed bumps. I've been waiting for it to worsen or get more consistent before taking it in. I'll be watching for your update!

After reading your post, I thought back to a few times were I've noticed a sound from the rear suspension as well, but more of clink than a creak to my ears. I've heard it when pulling out of the garage, when the rear wheels come down off of the driveway onto the street. Don't think I've heard it during acceleration or deceleration, however.

At any rate, will be subscribing to this thread to see what happens to @scoobybri. Hope it's nothing too serious.

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So the dealer calls and tells me the car is ready for pickup. When I arrive the service person apologizes and tells me that although the tech and service manager think that there could be an issue, GM engineers said this a normal sound for the Bolt. They had put in a service ticket with GM engineering when they couldn't easily diagnose the problem. GM told them to check the torque on all of the suspension parts. The dealer did that and the the creaking persisted. That's when GM told the dealer that "some Bolts make this sound and others don't but most of them will eventually." The dealer does not have another Bolt in stock to verify that this is true...or not. So now I have a GM ticket number that I have to escalate. I'm waiting until my wife gets home this evening to verify that her Bolt does or does not creak when coming to a slow stop and on light take off. I'm pretty sure it doesn't because she likely would have noticed this since she commutes 60 miles a day on mostly surface streets. In the meantime, I've put up a video on Youtube demonstrating the creaking sound. Maybe some of you could see if your Bolts make the same sound when coming to a light stop. Get up to 5 miles an hour and let L mode take you to a complete stop or lightly use the brake to stop. I hear the creak in the last seconds before the stop and sometimes after. Check out the video below.

I am going to give GM a call tomorrow and push the issue. This is not normal. I think it may be engine mount related or in the transmission. Let me know what you think and if this is "normal" in your Bolt.

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Scoobybri--I clearly hear the clunk. I would push this one hard as I had a car that had more of a metallic clink. After months of doing what you are, I finally insisted on some kind of diagnosis, so they sent out a specialist to the dealer who discovered it was coming from a failed weld in my right hand side front panel where it attaches to the body. You want this to be fully fixed under warranty. No way thats a normal sound. Just one man's opinion. Ill be watching to see what they come up with.

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So the dealer calls and tells me the car is ready for pickup. When I arrive the service person apologizes and tells me that although the tech and service manager think that there could be an issue, GM engineers said this a normal sound for the Bolt. They had put in a service ticket with GM engineering when they couldn't easily diagnose the problem. GM told them to check the torque on all of the suspension parts. The dealer did that and the the creaking persisted. That's when GM told the dealer that "some Bolts make this sound and others don't but most of them will eventually." The dealer does not have another Bolt in stock to verify that this is true...or not. So now I have a GM ticket number that I have to escalate. I'm waiting until my wife gets home this evening to verify that her Bolt does or does not creak when coming to a slow stop and on light take off. I'm pretty sure it doesn't because she likely would have noticed this since she commutes 60 miles a day on mostly surface streets. In the meantime, I've put up a video on Youtube demonstrating the creaking sound. Maybe some of you could see if your Bolts make the same sound when coming to a light stop. Get up to 5 miles an hour and let L mode take you to a complete stop or lightly use the brake to stop. I hear the creak in the last seconds before the stop and sometimes after. Check out the video below.

I am going to give GM a call tomorrow and push the issue. This is not normal. I think it may be engine mount related or in the transmission. Let me know what you think and if this is "normal" in your Bolt.

Sad to hear but sounds like you got the same response I did when the Mazda district manager told me that,'15% of them do that and we can't figure out why" in regards to vibration between 55-60 mph. They settled one day before final Lemon Law hearing. Keep us in the loop.

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[/QUOTE]I am going to give GM a call tomorrow and push the issue. This is not normal. I think it may be engine mount related or in the transmission. Let me know what you think and if this is "normal" in your Bolt.[/QUOTE]

That sounds wrong and quite visceral. There have been mentions of fasteners that weren't torqued down fully at assembly.
Maybe this is like a 2-4 thou play or something right now.

This types awkwardly, but I hope it gets worse, and therefore more obvious for them to root cause and correct for you, but all the while isn't a safety threat.

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So I drove my wife's Bolt and it makes the same sound, not quite as loud as mine but under the same circumstances...when coming to a slow complete stop and when taking off slowly. I guess the Chevy engineers are right about "many Bolts have the sound and most will develop it over time." Still very disconcerting. We have an acquaintance that has a Bolt and I may ask to see if hers does the same thing when we see her next. Otherwise, I guess I will just drive it and if it get worse I will push it with GM. I really wish a had a larger sample size of 2 Bolts to see if this is truly a "feature" that many have. Like I said, my creaks are louder than on my wife's Bolt but both do it. Maybe it lessens over time since she's had hers for almost 1 year and 14k miles while mine is perhaps still "breaking in" at 3k. Or maybe just breaking...time will tell.

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started really noticing the same thing on my Bolt too last week. The sound reminds me of the strut mount bushing noise i had on my 2011 Fusion. When it got real hot outside the rubber strut bushings would moan and creak as they rubbed and twisted on the metal spring, the fix Ford suggested was putting high temp grease on the mounts. I just hope its not drive line related. It just sucks because (it seems like anyway) that outside of California there are very few good Bolt service techs which is why i am hesitant to take mine in even for the software updates.

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I'm starting to think that it brake related. I know that alot of cars that I have have over the years had brake creaking when you let off the brakes a tiny bit like when you want to move up slightly at a stop light. Unlike most cars, the Bolt's ECU can activate the brakes to slow down and stop the car to control or smooth out the regenerative braking. When coming to a slow stop or starting very slowly, the ECU (or the driver) is applying or releasing the brakes very slightly which could cause a creaking sound. This would also explain why the sound does not happen during normal braking or starting. The ECU has to apply or release the brakes at a higher pressure or release them quicker which alleviates brake creaking.

I know that this total conjecture but it is a plausible explanation. I just wish GM would give us a real reason for the phenomena other than "Bolts just make that sound." Also, if I am correct, there should be a way to fix it via ECU flash by changing the brake ramping during slow starts/stops.

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The sound reminds me of the strut mount bushing noise i had on my 2011 Fusion. When it got real hot outside the rubber strut bushings would moan and creak as they rubbed and twisted on the metal spring,

The OP's video had the same 'type' of creak that my '07 Saturn has had for the last 3-4 years.

When the Saturns wheels are turned fully in either direction, and in D or R, and at initial acceleration, there is a very, very similar sound...only much louder..approaching a thunk. It comes from the drivers side strut. The creak comes from either the connecting joint, or more likely from inside the strut as it twist under the torque. I think the sound is inside the strut, and is echoed down to the joint. But it is the same 'type' of creak. And only on the drivers side.

A mechanic told me the strut was leaking whatever oil/lubricant that is supposed to be sealed inside. I never got it fixed/replaced.

Wonder if the OP gets the same behavior when the steering is turned max right or left?

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Yep, I've been noticing the rear creaking sound for a few months also. The dealer said they could hear it also, but didn't know where the origin was. I have a small hitch for a bike rack installed, and they are trying to blame the sound on the installation. I don't believe it myself. I'll be watching this thread from now on...

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I threw my audio recorder in the trunk, went over some speed bumps at around 10 km/h, and got a pretty good recording of the creaking that I'm hearing from the rear end of my car. It doesn't sound as loud as this from the driver's seat, but that's definitely the kind of sound I'm hearing:

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So the dealer calls and tells me the car is ready for pickup. When I arrive the service person apologizes and tells me that although the tech and service manager think that there could be an issue, GM engineers said this a normal sound for the Bolt. They had put in a service ticket with GM engineering when they couldn't easily diagnose the problem. GM told them to check the torque on all of the suspension parts. The dealer did that and the the creaking persisted. That's when GM told the dealer that "some Bolts make this sound and others don't but most of them will eventually." The dealer does not have another Bolt in stock to verify that this is true...or not. So now I have a GM ticket number that I have to escalate. I'm waiting until my wife gets home this evening to verify that her Bolt does or does not creak when coming to a slow stop and on light take off. I'm pretty sure it doesn't because she likely would have noticed this since she commutes 60 miles a day on mostly surface streets. In the meantime, I've put up a video on Youtube demonstrating the creaking sound. Maybe some of you could see if your Bolts make the same sound when coming to a light stop. Get up to 5 miles an hour and let L mode take you to a complete stop or lightly use the brake to stop. I hear the creak in the last seconds before the stop and sometimes after. Check out the video below.

I am going to give GM a call tomorrow and push the issue. This is not normal. I think it may be engine mount related or in the transmission. Let me know what you think and if this is "normal" in your Bolt.

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